2017 Performance Coaching Course (Level 4) ARU Performance Academy

Transcription

1 2017 Performance Coaching Course (Level 4) ARU Performance Academy Task 9a How to make a whole school rugby program more effective Jon Fitzgerald Introduction Whole school rugby programs play an extremely important role for the development of rugby in Australia and there a many reasons for this, some of these include; 1 - Schools offering rugby as part of their co-curricular programs are a gateway to increasing player participation in rugby clubs in Australia whilst at, and after completing their schooling 2 - Schools have an important role to play in promoting long term player development within the sport of rugby And 3 - Schools are also a platform from which Talent Identification Development (TID) can take place with player s moving into a performance pathway With the above considerations in mind this paper will outline how coordinators of these programs can better utilise planning tools, in particular strategic planning to improve the effectiveness of a whole school rugby program. Note - Effective for the purpose of this paper is defined as successful in achieving the desired result (English Oxford Living Dictionaries Definition, 2017); In Australia, whole school rugby programs can vary in size and scale dramatically. Some schools may have 1 team in their program and others may have up to 30 teams in their program. Regardless of how many teams each school has, all whole school rugby programs will, or should have at a bare minimum, some type of organisational structure outlined to all those involved in that program. Within this organisational structure there will be role descriptions created for key personnel. For example, the role of the 1 st XV Coaches, the Rugby Coordinator, Age Group Coaches in the Performance (A/B s) and Participation (C-E s) areas of the program and the Rugby Supporters Group. Again, this depends on the size of the schools program. Some schools may not have a separate Performance and Participation program. Others may have just one coach. Some schools may not have a supporters group etc. While the creation of an organisational structure may provide clarity for those involved in a whole school rugby program, it does not provide the necessary direction required for a program to be an effective one. To be an effective whole school rugby program there needs to be a mechanism that will move it in a forward direction. It also needs clarity on what the program is trying to achieve in the short, medium and long term. One mechanism that can be incorporated by coordinators to achieve this is by using a strategic planning process. A strategic planning process (strategic planning) focuses on a systematic process of envisioning a desired future, and translating this vision into broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve them. In contrast to long term planning, strategic planning begins at the desired end and works backward to the current status (Strategic Planning, 2017). The end result of the strategic planning process is the creation of a strategic plan for the whole school rugby program. This will be the document that clearly identifies how and what the program 1

2 is going to achieve during the specified timeframe. In most cases strategic plans can be used in a whole school rugby program to plan for the coming season. The following discussion will outline for rugby coordinators what is involved in strategic planning and how it can be embedded into a whole school rugby program to make it more effective. Before this process is outlined however it is important to highlight how strategic planning can make a whole school rugby program more effective. Firstly, strategic planning will make a whole school rugby program more effective because it provides clarity on what goals the program is going to achieve and more importantly how a program it is going to achieve them during the designated timeframe. Secondly, strategic planning will have other potential benefits for a whole school rugby program such as a greater level of cohesion evident in the programs organisational structure and this is due to the clarity of direction strategic planning provides. Essentially, if all the resources within the program are used to achieve a common set of goals then there is a good chance that these resources will be used more productively than if these goals are not clearly defined. Thirdly and finally strategic planning also provides, through the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) the opportunity to effectively evaluate how well the rugby program is meeting its desired goals. This can also be a very useful tool for coordinators to use at the end of a season when objectively assessing how well the program has performed. It is evident therefore that the potential impact of strategic planning within a whole school rugby program can be quite significant. Strategic planning involves a five step process which is undertaken sequentially. At the end of the final step of this process a strategic plan will be formulated that the whole school rugby program can follow for the timeframe specified. The five steps of the strategic planning process are; 1 Creating a Vision of the whole school rugby program 2 Undertake a SWOT Analysis of your program 3 Developing Key Focus Areas 4 Formulating Strategic Objectives And 5 Developing Action Plans and Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) 2

3 Figure 1 Five steps in the strategic planning process Vision SWOT Analysis Key Focus Areas Strategic Objectives/ Goals Action Plans/ Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) Figure 1 3

4 Each of these steps will be explained below. Throughout this explanation a hypothetical whole school rugby program will be used to demonstrate how strategic planning can be applied at each step. The hypothetical example used in this paper will be called ABC College; Step 1 Creating a Vision for a Whole School Rugby Program The first step in the strategic planning process is to create a vision that defines the whole school rugby program. A vision is a statement that describes the desired future positon of that program as a whole (Insights Management Tools, 2015). The rugby coordinator of this program needs to identify what the program stands for. They also need to make this vision a cornerstone for what the rugby program is offering and what it is trying to achieve. The vision is considered a key building block in making a whole school rugby program an effective one. This is because it provides a clear direction for all players, coaches, parents and the wider school community as to what the program is aiming to achieve and what it represents. For a vision to be effective within a whole school rugby program it should also be closely linked to a schools/ colleges mission and values. There are many examples where schools have closely aligned the vision of their rugby program to that of the school values and its mission statement with great success. Auckland Grammar School in New Zealand is one example of this close correlation. Auckland Grammar School has a proud rugby history since it opened 145 years ago. It has a large school population of 2500 students with 500 students playing rugby and fielding teams each season (Askew, Auckalnd Grammar School, 2015). They have produced 51 All Blacks during this time and won a number of Auckland 1A 1 st XV Championships. An important component of their rugby program is linking it with schools core values which are integrity, excellence, respect, courage, pride, commitment and humility (The Grammar Way, 2016). While there is a strong focus on academic performance at Auckland Grammar School it also recognises the value of boys being involved in co-curricular activities (Askew, Sports Orientation Handbook, Auckland Grammar School, 2017). There is a clear vision of student involvement at the school and this therefore defines what the rugby program is aiming to achieve. Director of Sports Development at the Auckland Grammar School David Askew qualifies this by stating that their rugby program is structured to accommodate rugby at both a Performance (A and B Teams) and Participation (C and D Team) levels (Askew, Auckalnd Grammar School, 2015). This maximises participation and enjoyment for the players and coaches alike. The rugby program is built around this vision. The provision of quality coaching within both the performance and participation teams in its program is therefore a major focus for Auckland Grammar School. Another school that has built their rugby vision around the values/ mission of the school is Brisbane Grammar School. The school fields 25 teams in the Queensland Greater Public Schools (GPS) competition. Director of Rugby at Brisbane Grammar School Phil Mooney states that although the performance of the 1 st XV maybe seen as important the vision that drives the rugby program at Brisbane Grammar School is focused on developing the skill set of every rugby player that arrives into their program (Mooney, 2015). Like Auckland Grammar School, Brisbane Grammar School also have a strong academic focus. The values of the school Endeavour, Learning, Respect, Leadership Community (Our Purpose, 2015) link strongly to the vision of the co-curricular program which states The program aims to develop students skills and to fulfil their potential for intelligent performance while also providing important opportunities for them to both explore and extend their talents whilst gaining greater self-knowledge and awareness. (Extracurricular, 2015). 4

5 St Joseph s College Gregory Terrace in Brisbane (Terrace) is another example of the rugby vision being closely aligned to the values and mission of the schools. Like Brisbane Grammar School, Terrace provides over 25 rugby teams each season and has the following whole school rugby program vison The Terrace rugby program is committed to offering a safe and well structured environment with a focus on participation, enjoyment and the opportunity to learn. In doing so the program provides boys, coaches and referees with a strong framework for improvement and abundant opportunity to develop the key elements of rugby (St Joseph's College Gregory Terrace Rugby Program Overview, 2017). The vison of the whole school rugby program is closely aligned with the schools values of Excellence, Stewardship, Relationships and Respect (Misson Statement, 2017). The importance of creating a vision for a whole school rugby program that closely aligns to the schools mission and values cannot be underestimated. It also creates consistency throughout the school curricular and co-curricular programs. As discussed earlier, the vision for a whole school rugby is a crucial element if making it an effective one. Using the hypothetical example of ABC College the following vision has been formulated for its whole school rugby program; To provide a well-structured and safe rugby environment that offers opportunities for players to be involved in both a performance and participation program which aligns itself to the Long Term Player Development Model of the Australian Rugby Union. ABC College is also committed to working in partnership with the wider rugby community at the College and to create the best environment for ABC College rugby to excel. Once a vision has been formulated then the next step of the strategic planning process can take place which is undertaking a SWOT Analysis of the whole school rugby program. The SWOT Analysis is important as it will be the foundation for the third step which is the creation of the Key Focus Areas that the whole school rugby program will use for the coming season. To be effective, the SWOT Analysis needs to be undertaken by the coordinator and all relevant stakeholders within the program. An explanation of what is included in a SWOT Analysis is outlined below. Step 2 Undertake a SWOT Analysis of your whole school program The second step of the strategic planning process is undertaking a SWOT Analysis of the whole school rugby program. A SWOT analysis is a strategic analytical tool for assessing strengths and weaknesses of a business, analysing opportunities available to the business, as well as, threats faced by the business. SWOT analysis can be used at organizational and personal levels (SWOT Analysis, 2017). The SWOT Analysis will lead to the formulation of the Key Focus Areas which the whole school rugby program will concentrate on in the coming season. A SWOT Analysis is usually illustrated graphically. An example of how this can be show is highlighted below; 5

6 Figure 2 A SWOT Analysis (SWOT Analysis, 2017) When conducting a SWOT Analysis there are four areas that the whole school rugby program needs to identify. Two of these areas (Strength and Weaknesses) have an internal focus. The other two areas (Opportunities and Threats) have an external focus. Examples of all four of these are illustrated below. The examples provided below will be used to formulate the Key Focus Areas for ABC College; Internal Strengths - These are characteristics and factors that give a competitive advantage (SWOT Analysis, 2017). Examples of strengths within a whole school could be; A A large number of coaching staff keen to be involved in rugby B A strong history of rugby at the school C An ability to offer both a Performance and Participation program at the school has attracted large numbers to rugby D - A supportive school administration who want rugby to develop in the school Weaknesses These are factors that can weaken to competiveness (SWOT Analysis, 2017) of the program. These therefore are factors that are evident in the program that are not caused by outside influences. Examples of weaknesses within a whole school rugby program could be; A An imbalance in coaching delivery by coaches in all age groups B An inadequate strength and conditioning program C An increasingly high level of injuries being experienced by age groups in recent years D A lack of consistent programing from 1 st XV to the lower age groups 6

7 E A lack of (PSS) Position Specific Skills in players across all age groups has affected both the performance and participation program at the school F A low level of coach education within the rugby program G A low level of engagement with the wider rugby community at the school H No rugby tours at the school for the past 5 years has possibly diminished the potential rugby experience for players External Opportunities These are favourable situations and factors that can strengthen the competitive advantage (SWOT Analysis, 2017) of the whole school rugby program. Essentially what can the whole school rugby program utilise outside of the program that can improve it. Examples of opportunities for a whole school rugby program could include; A Providing more opportunities for coaches to attend coaching courses B To explore opportunities to better resource the Performance and Participation programs by visiting other whole school rugby programs C Engage outside consultants to look at developing a more effective strength and conditioning program D To involve local rugby development officers to be part of improving the skill levels of Age Group and conduct skills sessions at training days E To embrace the wider school community (Parents and Friends) to be involved in activities to support rugby at the school F To provide a consistent training program for all Age Group teams G Explore the possibility of undertaking rugby tours for senior teams (1 st and 2 nd XV) H Explore the possibly of taking Age Groups to pre-season camps. I Provide educational opportunities to both players and parents on concussion management in rugby J- Align the school program to the Australian Rugby Union Long Term Development model (FTEM) Threats These are unfavourable situations and factors that could create problems for (SWOT Analysis, 2017) the whole school rugby program. Examples for a whole school rugby program can include; A Other sports outside school has the potential to make an impact on the playing numbers at the school B- The increasing influence of curriculum in the school environment has placed time constraints on the rugby program. C The concern from parents regarding the impact of concussion in rugby The SWOT Analysis above is a hypothetical example however it would be naïve to suggest that none of the points raised are not occurring in whole school rugby programs presently in Australia. While 7

8 there are some definite strengths that each rugby program offers within a school environment, there are also some challenges that each program is currently facing in rugby in Australia. With any SWOT Analysis it is the ability of the rugby coordinator to examine the weaknesses and the threats and provide a framework on how to reduce these moving forward. This is where the next step of the strategic planning process becomes critical and it is the formulation of Key Focus Areas. Step 3 Developing Key Focus Areas Key focus Areas are derived from the vision and after conducting a SWOT Analysis of your whole school program. While the vision for a whole school program is usually a broad statement, Key Focus Areas however are the foundation stones of the (programs) strategy (Strategic Planning 101, 2017). They expand on your vision and start to create structure around how to actually get the (program) to achieve its goals (Strategic Planning, 2017). Information provided in the SWOT Analysis will provide an indication on what, and also how many, Key Focus Areas need to be created during this strategic planning process. They will also be a key feature that will be highlighted in the final strategic plan at the conclusion of that process. Normally there would be 3 6 Key Focus Areas (Strategic Planning 101, 2017) that would be created when strategically planning. There are many examples of Key Focus Areas that a whole school rugby program can adopt however it will depend on where the program is currently positioned. To again refer back to the hypothetical example of ABC College it is clear that from both the vision and information identified at the SWOT Analysis stage that four Key Focus Areas need to be created. These are; 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community 2 Cultural development 3 Developing community engagement 4 Training Programs Once the Key Focus Areas are formulated then the next step of the strategic planning process can take place which is the formulation of strategic objectives/ goals. 4 Strategic Objectives /Goals Strategic Objectives are specific goals that the (program) wishes to achieve with a clearly stated outcome and deadline. It differs from a Key Focus Area in that it is specific and measurable and once completed will be replaced by another (Strategic Planning 101, 2017). The hypothetical example of ABC College will again be used to demonstrate how Strategic Objectives can be applied to a whole school rugby program. Using the four Key Focus Areas identified for ABC College the following Strategic Objectives are suggested; 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community Strategic Objectives A Ensure that all coaches in the ABC College program have Australian Rugby Union Accreditation in the following courses Smart Rugby (at the start of the season) and Foundation Coach Course (Level 1) by the end of the season. Coaches involved in the Performance coaching program (1 st and 2 nd XV and A/B s in each Age Group) at ABC College will be encouraged to apply to attend the Australian 8

9 Rugby Union Developing Coach Course (Level 2) if not currently accredited and also Australian Rugby Union Annual National Coaching Conference. B The 1 st XV Coaches at ABC College deliver a coaching education seminar to all coaches involved in the program on ABC College s whole school rugby terminology (Sedgwick, 2017) C- To ask that all coaches complete the World Rugby Concussion Management on-line module D To encourage the Coordinator of ABC College rugby program to attend a World Rugby Educator Course E Coaches wishing to further develop their coaching development will be encouraged to apply for the Australian Rugby Union Emerging Coach Course (ARU Level 3) and attend the annual Australian Rugby Unions National Coaching Conference when held in ABC College s home state. F Facilitate a community in-service on concussion management to outline ABC College s procedures for dealing with concussion in rugby. 2 Cultural development Strategic Objectives A To engage players in the 1 st XV to be more actively involved with the Age Group program B - To nominate a Best on Ground player from each team and have this published in the Weekly newsletter C To nominate teams to co-train with the 1 st XV once per week during the season 3 Developing community engagement Strategic Objectives A Create a Rugby Parents and Friends Group within the program to assist with home game logistics and to create opportunities to fundraise during these times B To publish a weekly article about rugby at ABC College in the schools newsletter C- Facilitate a seminar open to parents and players to highlight what ABC College is aiming to achieve from its Strategic Plan. To also use this opportunity to highlight how selection of players is undertaken at ABC College 4 Training programs Strategic Objectives A Provide a coaches handbook that will include a whole school approach to coaching at ABC College and terminology. This will also be explained and demonstrated at a coaching education seminar conducted by the coaches of the 1 st XV at ABC College. B To enhance the skill level (PSS) of all rugby players at ABC College by implementing specialist coaching within the Performance program and providing a clear skill set that coaches must educate their players during the season in the Participation Program (Sedgwick, 2017) C- To conduct holiday training camps for Age Group Teams in both the Performance and Participation programs at the College. 9

10 D The opportunity to take the 1 st and 2 nd XV on a rugby tour during the next season E To provide filming of all Performance teams in the ABC College program during the season Step 5 Action Plans/ Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) The final step of the strategic planning process is the actioning of the Strategic Objectives and the creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI s). The first part of this process is to formulate Action Plans for each strategic objective. An action plan is a document that lists what steps must be taken in order to achieve a specific goal (Definiton Action Plan, 2017). To demonstrate how a whole school rugby program can develop Action Plans the hypothetical example of ABC College will be used. 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community Strategic Objectives A Ensure that all coaches in the ABC College program have Australian Rugby Union Accreditation in the following courses Smart Rugby (at the start of the season) and Foundation Coach Course (Level 1) by the end of the season. Coaches involved in the Performance coaching program (1 st and 2 nd XV and A/B s in each Age Group) at ABC College will be encouraged to apply to attend the Australian Rugby Union Developing Coach Course (Level 2) if not currently accredited and also Australian Rugby Union Annual National Coaching Conference. Action Plan The Coordinator to contact the state rugby union immediately and inform all coaches of dates for the above stated courses. B The 1 st XV Coaches at ABC College deliver a coaching education seminar to all coaches involved in the program on ABC College s whole school terminology. Action Plan For the Coordinator to facilitate this coaching education session in the week before preseason training with all coaches required to attend. C- To ask that all coaches complete the World Rugby Concussion Management on-line module Action Pan The Coordinator will ask coaches to send their certificate of completion of this on-line module prior to the start of pre-season training. D To encourage the Coordinator of ABC College rugby program to attend a World Rugby Educator Course. Action Plan For the Coordinator to apply to the Australian Rugby Union to attend this course once the dates are published on the Australian Rugby Union Website. E Coaches wishing to further develop their coaching development will be encouraged to apply for the Australian Rugby Union Emerging Coach Course (ARU Level 3) and attend the annual Australian Rugby Unions National Coaching Conference when held in ABC College s home state. Action Plan For the Coordinator to inform coaches of when these coaches will be available in ABC College s home state. F Facilitate a community in-service on concussion management to outline ABC College s procedures for dealing with concussion in rugby. 10

11 Action Plan For the Coordinator to facilitate this in the week prior to commencement of pre-season training 2 Cultural development Strategic Objectives A To engage players in the 1 st XV to be more actively involved with the Age Group program. Action Plan For the Coordinator to liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches on assigning their players to be dispersed each Saturday morning for an hour to assist in supporting the Age Group teams each competition weekend. B - To nominate a Best on Ground player from each team and have this published in the Weekly newsletter. Action Plan To ask coaches of each team to send through their Best and Fairest Player each week after their game and to publish this in ABC College s weekly newsletter. C To nominate teams to co-train with the 1 st XV once per week during the season. Action Plan For the Coordinator to select one team from the Performance Program to undertake this activity each Tuesday afternoon. This will also be done in consultation with the 1 st XV Coaches. 3 Developing community engagement Strategic Objectives A Create a Rugby Parents and Friends Group within the program to assist with home game logistics and to create opportunities to fundraise during these times. Action Plan To advertise through the ABC College Newsletter an expression of interest to all parents who have a child involved in rugby at the College to be involved in a Parents and Friends Rugby Association. From these nominations a committee will be formed for the season. The Coordinator and the Committee will work together on assisting with home game logistics, BBQ s and possible fundraising opportunities during the season. B To publish a weekly article about rugby at ABC College in the schools newsletter. Action Plan The Coordinator to create and article on rugby at the College each week that will highlight what the rugby program is trying to achieve with both the Performance and Participation programs. C- Facilitate a seminar open to parents and players to highlight what ABC College is aiming to achieve from its Strategic Plan. To also use this opportunity to highlight how selection of players is undertaken at ABC College Action Pan The Coordinator to hold this seminar at the same time as the in-service on concussion management at the College. 11

12 4 Training program Strategic Objectives A Provide a coaches handbook that will include a whole school approach to coaching at ABC College and terminology. This will also be explained and demonstrated at a coaching education seminar conducted by the coaches of the 1 st XV at ABC College. Action Plan The Coordinator to liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches during Term 1 to finalise this booklet. Distribution will occur at the coaching education seminar conducted in the week prior to the commencement of pre-season training. B To enhance the skill level (PSS) of all rugby players at ABC College by implementing specialist coaching within the Performance program and providing a clear skill set that coaches must educate their players during the season in the Participation Program. Action Plan The Coordinator to liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches and also coaches involved in the Performance Program in Term 1 to receive feedback on what PSS they would like to have included at their respective Age Group. The Coordinator will provide in the week before the commencement of pre-season a list of PSS that need to be coached within each Age Group in the Performance Program. The Coordinator will also provide at the same time a list of PSS to coaches in the Participation Program. This will also need be coached to these players during the season. C- To conduct holiday training camps for Age Group Teams in both the Performance and Participation programs at the College. Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate the possibility of holding a two day non-residential preseason camp in the holidays prior to the commencement of the competition season. Ideally this would be on the final Thursday and Friday of the second week of that holiday. The Coordinator will also investigate the possibility of organising a whole school trial day against an opposition school on the last Saturday of that holiday break. D The opportunity to take the 1 st and 2 nd XV on a rugby tour during the next season Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate as soon as possible with the school executive if a rugby tour can occur at ABC College. If this is approved the Coordinator will then liaise with relevant touring companies and begin costings for a proposed tour. E To provide filming of all Performance teams in the ABC College program during the season Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate what businesses currently film sport for schools and liaise with the Finance department to seek approval for this to be actioned before the start of the season. Key Performance Indicators (KPI S) Once the Action plans are created, the final step of this process can take place and that is the creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI s). KPI s are a measurable value on how effectively a (program) is achieving its Key Focus Areas (KPI Examples, 2017). KPI s are also a method that can be used by rugby coordinators as an evaluative tool at the end of the season to assess how effective their program was across all the key areas identified in the strategic plan. The KPI s that will be applied to ABC College whole school rugby program will be centred on the Key Focus Areas and they are; 12

13 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community KPI s A -90% of all coaches involved in the Performance Program are Developing Coach Course (Level 2) qualified by the end of the season B -100% of coaches in the program are Foundation Coach Course (Level 1) accredited by the end of the season C 100% of coaches are Smart Rugby accredited by the start of the season D 100% of coaches in the program have completed their World Rugby Concussion Management course by the start of the season E Two coaches in the Performance Program are accepted into the Australian Rugby Union Emerging Coach Course (Level 3) F One coach is accepted into the Performance Coach Course (Level 4) at the end of the year G That the rugby Coordinator has completed a World Rugby Educator Course by the end of the season 2 Cultural development A Provide an enjoyable match day experience for all stakeholders during the season B That every team in the program have had a at least one member of the 1 st XV assist the players and coaches by supporting them on one occasion during a match this season C- To publish each week the Best and Fairest player from each team in the ABC College Newsletter 3 Developing community engagement A Have a Parent and Friends Rugby Supporters Committee created by the start of the season B- To commence fundraising activities for the following seasons 1 st and 2 nd XV rugby tour C- To promote rugby in ABC College during the season 4 Training Programs A -To have a whole school rugby program Coaches Booklet provided and presented to all coaches during the pre-season where whole school rugby terminology is coached and implemented in all teams B To have facilitated camps for all Age Group Teams in the pre-season C- To have each game filmed for all teams in the Performance Program D To have a rugby tour for the following season presented to the Leadership Team of the College Creating a Strategic Plan for a whole school rugby program Once the Action Plans and KPI s have been finalised the Strategic Plan for the whole school rugby program will now be formulated using information researched during the strategic planning process. The strategic plan will include the following; The Whole School Rugby Program Vision, Key Focus Areas, 13

14 Strategic Objectives, the Action Plans and KPI s. Using ABC College as an example of how to apply this information into a strategic plan the following model has been use ABC College Rugby Program 20XX Strategic Plan Vision To provide a well-structured and safe rugby environment that offers opportunities for players to be involved in both a performance and participation program which aligns itself to the Long Term Player Development Model of the Australian Rugby Union. ABC College is also committed to working in partnership with the wider rugby community at the College to create the best environment for ABC College rugby to excel. Key Focus Area 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community Key Focus Area 2 Cultural development Key Focus Area 3 Developing community engagement Key Focus Area 4 Training program Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives A Ensure that all coaches in the ABC College program have Australian Rugby Union Accreditation in the following courses Smart Rugby (at the start of the A To engage players in the 1 st XV to be more actively involved with the Age Group program A Create a Rugby Parents and Friends Group within the program to assist with home game logistics and to create opportunities to A Provide a coaches handbook that will include a whole school approach to coaching at ABC College and terminology. This will season) and Foundation Course (Level 1) Action Plan For the fundraise during these times also be explained and by the end of the season. Coaches Coordinator to liaise with the Action Plan To advertise through demonstrated at a coaching involved in the Performance coaching 1 st XV Coaches on assigning the ABC College Newsletter an education seminar conducted by program (1 st and 2 nd XV and A/B s in each their players to be dispersed expression of interest to all the coaches of the 1 st XV at ABC Age Group) at ABC College will be encouraged to apply to attend the each Saturday morning for an hour to assist in supporting parents who have a child involved in rugby at the College to be College. Action Plan The Coordinator to Australian Rugby Union Developing Coach the Age Group team involved in a Parents and Friends liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches Course (Level 2) if not currently accredited and also Australian Rugby Union Annual weekend. Rugby Association. From these nominations a committee will be during Term 1 to finalise this booklet. Distribution will occur at National Coaching Conference. formed for the season. The the coaching education seminar Action Plan The Coordinator to contact Coordinator and the Committee conducted in the week prior to the state rugby union immediately and will work together on assisting the commencement of preseason inform all coaches of dates for the above with home game logistics, BBQ s training. stated courses. and possible fundraising opportunities during the season. 14

15 B The 1 st XV Coaches at ABC College deliver a coaching education seminar to all coaches involved in the program on ABC College s whole school terminology. Action Plan For the Coordinator to facilitate this coaching education session in the week before pre-season training with all coaches requiring to attend C- To ask that all coaches complete the World Rugby Concussion Management on-line module Action Pan The Coordinator will ask coaches to send their certificate of B - To nominate a Best on Ground player from each team and have this published in the Weekly newsletter Action Plan To ask coaches of each team to send through their Best and Fairest Player each week after their game and to publish this in ABC College s weekly newsletter C To nominate teams to cotrain with the 1 st XV once per week during the season Action Plan For the Coordinator to select one B To publish a weekly article about rugby at ABC College in the schools newsletter Action Plan The Coordinator to create and article on rugby at the College each week that will highlight what the rugby program is trying to achieve with both the Performance and Participation programs. C- Facilitate a seminar open to parents and players to highlight what ABC College is aiming to achieve from its Strategic Plan. To also use this opportunity to B To enhance the skill level (PSS) of all rugby players at ABC College by implementing specialist coaching within the Performance program and providing a clear skill set that coaches must educate their players during the season in the Participation Program. Action Plan The Coordinator to liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches and also coaches involved in the Performance Program in Term 1 to receive feedback on what PSS they would like to have included at their respective Age Group. The Coordinator will provide in the week before the commencement of pre-season a list of PSS that need to be coached within each Age Group in the Performance Program. The Coordinator will also provide at the same time a list of PSS to coaches in the Participation Program. This will also need be coached to these players during the season. C- To conduct holiday training camps for Age Group Teams in both the Performance and Participation programs at the College. 15

16 completion of this on-line module prior to the start of pre-season training D To encourage the Coordinator of ABC College rugby program to attend a World Rugby Educator Course Action Plan For the Coordinator to apply to the Australian Rugby Union to attend this course once the dates are published on the Australian Rugby Union Website E Coaches wishing to further develop their coaching development will be encouraged to apply for the Australian Rugby Union Emerging Coach (ARU Level 3) and attend the annual Australian Rugby Unions National Coaching Conference when held in ABC College s home state. team from the Performance Program to undertake this activity each Tuesday afternoon. This will also be done in consultation with the 1 st XV Coaches highlight how selection of players is undertaken at ABC College Action Pan The Coordinator to hold this seminar at the same time as the in-service on concussion management at the College. Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate holding a two day non-residential pre-season camp in the holidays prior to the commencement of the competition season. Ideally this would be on the final Thursday and Friday of the second week of that holiday. The Coordinator will also investigate the possibility of organising a whole school trial day against an opposition school on the last Saturday of that holiday break. D The opportunity to take the 1 st and 2 nd XV on a rugby tour during the next season Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate as soon as possible with the school executive if a rugby tour can occur at ABC College. If this is approved the Coordinator will then liaise with relevant touring companies and begin costings for a proposed tour. E To provide filming of all Performance teams in the ABC College program during the season Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate what businesses currently film sport for schools 16

17 Action Plan For the Coordinator to inform coaches of when these coaches will be available in ABC College s home state. F Facilitate a community in-service on concussion management to outline ABC College s procedures for dealing with concussion in rugby. Action Plan For the Coordinator to facilitate this in the week prior to commencement of pre-season training and liaise with the Finance department to seek approval for this to be actioned before the start of the season. Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators A -90% of all coaches involved in the A Have a Parent and Friends Performance Program are Developing Rugby Supporters Committee Coach (Level 2) qualified by the end of the created by the start of the season season B -100% of coaches in the program are Foundation Course (Level 1) accredited by the end of the season C 100% of coaches are Smart Rugby accredited by the start of the season A Provide an enjoyable match day experience for all stakeholders during the season B That every team in the program have had a at least one member of the 1 st XV assist the players and coaches by supporting them on one occasion during a match this season B- To commence fundraising activities for the following seasons 1 st and 2 nd XV rugby tour C- To promote rugby in ABC College during the season A -To have a whole school rugby program Coaches Booklet provided and presented to all coaches during the pre-season where whole school rugby terminology is coached and implemented in all teams B To have facilitated camps for all Age Group Teams in the preseason D 100% of coaches in the program have completed their World Rugby Concussion Management course by the start of the season E Two coaches in the Performance Program are accepted into the Australian Rugby Union Emerging Coach Course (Level 3) C- To publish each week the Best and Fairest player from each team in the ABC College Newsletter C- To have each game filmed for all teams in the Performance Program D To have a rugby tour for the following season presented to the Leadership Team of the College 17

18 F One coach is accepted into the Performance Coach Course (Level 4) at the end of the year G That the rugby Coordinator has completed a World Rugby Educator Course by the end of the season As can be seen above, the strategic plan will make a whole school rugby program more effective because it narrows the focus for everybody involved in the program, provides clarity on the direction in which the program is heading and also what the program is trying to achieve for all of those involved it. This paper has attempted to demonstrate how strategic planning can be incorporated into a whole school rugby program and also highlight the value of undertaking this process. 18

19 Bibliography Askew, D. (2015, July). Auckalnd Grammar School. (B. Harring, Interviewer) Askew, D. (2017). Sports Orientation Handbook, Auckland Grammar School. Auckland: Auckland Grammar Sxchool. Baly'l, I. (2013). Long Term Athlete Development Model. In R. W. Islvan Baly'l, Long Term Athlete Development (p. 7). United States of America: Sheridan Books. Definiton Action Plan. (2017). Retrieved from WhatIs.com: Dictionary. (2017, September 6th ). Retrieved from Dictionary.com: English Oxford Living Dictionaries Definition. (2017, September 4th ). Retrieved from English Oxford Living Dictionaries: Extracurricular. (2015). Retrieved from Brisbane Grammar School: x Insights Management Tools. (2015, June 10th). Retrieved from Bain and Company: KPI Examples. (2017). Retrieved from Klipfolio: Misson Statement. (2017). Retrieved from St Joseph's College Gregory Terrrace: Mooney, P. (2015, November). Brisbane Grammar School Rugby Program. (B. Herring, Interviewer) Our Purpose. (2015). Retrieved from Brisbane Grammar School: Sedgwick, T. (2017, September 4). Embedding an effective rugby program. (J. Fitzgerald, Interviewer) (2017). St Joseph's College Gregory Terrace Rugby Program Overview. Brisbane: St Josephs College Gregory Terrace. Strategic Planning 101. (2017, May 29). Retrieved from Cascade Strategy: Strategy Software for Planning & Execution: Strategic Planning. (2017). Retrieved from Business Dictionary: SWOT Analysis. (2017). Retrieved from Research Methodology: 19

20 The Grammar Way. (2016). Retrieved from Auckland Grammar School: 20

21 2017 Performance Coaching Course (Level 4) ARU Performance Academy Task 9B A planning template for a whole school rugby program Jon Fitzgerald Introduction The following is a planning template that coordinators of whole school programs can use when planning for a season. This template includes a hypothetical example of a school/ college. In this case ABC College is the hypothetical example used. The template also provides examples of a Whole School Rugby Programs Vision, Key Focus Areas, Strategic Objectives, Acton Plans and Key Performance Indicators. This template is an extension of Task 9a where an examination of the value of strategic planning was discussed and a hypothetical example was used to qualify this. In Task 9a there was also a hypothetical SWOT Analysis conducted for ABC College which led to the creation of four Key Focus Areas. This template can be adopted to a whole school rugby program regardless of how many teams are in that program. The purpose of this planning template is that it will provide a mechanism for the coordinator to be able to utilise the resources within the program more effectively and also provide a clear direction for where the program is heading. 21

22 ABC College Rugby Program 20XX Strategic Plan Vision To provide a well-structured and safe rugby environment that offers opportunities for players to be involved in both a performance and participation program which aligns itself to the Long Term Player Development Model of the Australian Rugby Union. ABC College is also committed to working in partnership with the wider rugby community at the College to create the best environment for ABC College rugby to excel Key Focus Area 1 Education for Coaches, players and the rugby community Key Focus Area 2 Cultural development Key Focus Area 3 Developing community engagement Key Focus Area 4 Training program Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives Strategic Objectives. A Ensure that all coaches in the ABC College program have Australian Rugby Union Accreditation in the following courses Smart Rugby (at the start of the A To engage players in the 1 st XV to be more actively involved with the Age Group program A Create a Rugby Parents and Friends Group within the program to assist with home game logistics and to create opportunities to A Provide a coaches handbook that will include a whole school approach to coaching at ABC College and terminology. This will season) and Foundation Course (Level 1) Action Plan For the fundraise during these times also be explained and by the end of the season. Coaches Coordinator to liaise with the Action Plan To advertise through demonstrated at a coaching involved in the Performance coaching 1 st XV Coaches on assigning the ABC College Newsletter an education seminar conducted by program (1 st and 2 nd XV and A/B s in each their players to be dispersed expression of interest to all the coaches of the 1 st XV at ABC Age Group) at ABC College will be encouraged to apply to attend the each Saturday morning for an hour to assist in supporting parents who have a child involved in rugby at the College to be College. Action Plan The Coordinator to Australian Rugby Union Developing Coach the Age Group team involved in a Parents and Friends liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches Course (Level 2) if not currently accredited and also Australian Rugby Union Annual weekend. Rugby Association. From these nominations a committee will be during Term 1 to finalise this booklet. Distribution will occur at National Coaching Conference. formed for the season. The the coaching education seminar Action Plan The Coordinator to contact Coordinator and the Committee conducted in the week prior to the state rugby union immediately and will work together on assisting the commencement of preseason inform all coaches of dates for the above with home game logistics, BBQ s training. stated courses. and possible fundraising opportunities during the season. B The 1 st XV Coaches at ABC College deliver a coaching education seminar to all B - To nominate a Best on Ground player from each B To publish a weekly article about rugby at ABC College in the schools newsletter B To enhance the skill level (PSS) of all rugby players at ABC College 22

23 coaches involved in the program on ABC College s whole school terminology. Action Plan For the Coordinator to facilitate this coaching education session in the week before pre-season training with all coaches requiring to attend C- To ask that all coaches complete the World Rugby Concussion Management on-line module Action Pan The Coordinator will ask coaches to send their certificate of completion of this on-line module prior to the start of pre-season training team and have this published in the Weekly newsletter Action Plan To ask coaches of each team to send through their Best and Fairest Player each week after their game and to publish this in ABC College s weekly newsletter C To nominate teams to cotrain with the 1 st XV once per week during the season Action Plan For the Coordinator to select one team from the Performance Program to undertake this activity each Tuesday Action Plan The Coordinator to create and article on rugby at the College each week that will highlight what the rugby program is trying to achieve with both the Performance and Participation programs. C- Facilitate a seminar open to parents and players to highlight what ABC College is aiming to achieve from its Strategic Plan. To also use this opportunity to highlight how selection of players is undertaken at ABC College by implementing specialist coaching within the Performance program and providing a clear skill set that coaches must educate their players during the season in the Participation Program. Action Plan The Coordinator to liaise with the 1 st XV Coaches and also coaches involved in the Performance Program in Term 1 to receive feedback on what PSS they would like to have included at their respective Age Group. The Coordinator will provide in the week before the commencement of pre-season a list of PSS that need to be coached within each Age Group in the Performance Program. The Coordinator will also provide at the same time a list of PSS to coaches in the Participation Program. This will also need be coached to these players during the season. C- To conduct holiday training camps for Age Group Teams in both the Performance and Participation programs at the College. Action Plan The Coordinator will investigate holding a two day non-residential pre-season camp 23